From the desk of Dr. Kunchok Dorjee:

It fills me with grief and sadness as I write this update and appeal. Unthinkable tragedy and suffering have befallen Nepal and Tibet, yet again. I am just returning from Dharamsala and report that I and my family are safe, so are our colleagues in Nepal. 

I have spoken with my colleagues in Nepal and learn that thousands of people have likely died in this tragedy, with more than 5000 reported missing in Nepal alone. In Nepal, Rasuwa and Nuvakot are the primary sites of flood. In 2024, similar glacial flooding occurred in the Everest area, which also washed away Thame village in Khumbu, where I have trekked and walked for several days. Climate change and human interventions in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem are likely triggering these disasters. 

I have been particularly devastated to learn of the impact to the local schools, as schools have been an area of focus for my tuberculosis screening and community building work. Several schools were washed away, including the Trishuli school that has around 1600 students. Fortunately, when the flood struck upstream in Rasuwa, this school by the downstream Trishuli River was alerted, and the headmaster saved hundreds of lives of children by evacuating the students already at the school to a higher ground and contacting as many of those on the way as he could. Several other schools nearby were also washed away completely.

Rasuwa is also situated in the remote Himalayan districts of Nepal where I have been working for the past several years. So, I am familiar with the area. As we know, after natural disasters, infectious diseases rise. Our Zero TB in Kids program has been shown to significantly reduce tuberculosis rates in the Himalayan communities. Our Smart Kids Initiative has supported education of children in the schools by providing digital learning resources such as computers, internet and training on the use of technology. Leveraging the existing capacities, networks and resources that we have built over the past decade, we plan to bring immediate and long-term relief to the families. 

Immediately, we plan to provide needs medical support and medicines, blankets, tents, clothing, food, sanitary pads, and fuel/heaters ahead of winter. In the longer term, we are planning to extend our health screening projects into the schools and families. We will channel the funds raised through this website towards these effort and needs. 

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support over the years toward my work in this fragile Himalayan region inhabited by some of the most socioeconomically, geographically, and politically vulnerable populations on Earth. 

The Road Ahead

Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and the surrounding Himalayan districts are among the most remote and difficult-to-reach in Nepal, and several now have no functioning road access — a 25-kilometer stretch alone was destroyed in the flood. Makeshift camps have sprung up in Kathmandu and beyond as displaced families wait for a way home, or for a home to return to at all. Winter is approaching quickly in a region already defined by harsh, high-altitude conditions, and with it comes real risk: exposure, waterborne illness, and the resurgence of infectious disease that so often follows disaster in under-resourced communities.

This is not unfamiliar ground for us. Zero TB has spent nearly a decade building trust, infrastructure, and partnerships with local NGOs and hospitals across Nepal's Himalayan districts. That means we are not starting from zero — we can move quickly, direct resources where they are needed most, and stay engaged long after the news cycle moves on.

How Your Gift Helps

Immediate Relief

Delivered through our existing NGO and hospital partners on the ground:

• Medical support and medicines
• Blankets, tents, and warm clothing
• Food and sanitary supplies
• Fuel and heaters ahead of winter

Long-Term Recovery

Building on nearly a decade of work in the region:

• Extending TB and health screening into Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and surrounding districts
• Bringing the Smart Kids Initiative to children who lost their schools
• Supporting families through the long road of rebuilding

Every gift made through this page will go directly toward these efforts.

The Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins operates under the tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. EIN: 52-0595110.